A Dream Fulfilled
by Khryseis
Summary: "I'd like to battle him at least once," he sighed, crossing his arms. "I wish I wasn't so sick all the time." [A short fic about an optimistic young boy and his desire to battle against the trainer he admired the most.]


"Oh no, the battle's back on!" Wally scrambled from the bathroom, rushing back into his room and clambering on top of his bed, frantically searching for the remote. When he finds it he quickly turns up the volume and plops onto his belly, panting slightly.

There is a flash of blue steel on the TV screen; the next moment, it shows Salamence sprialing down, crying out as it crashes into the dirt.

_"That's got to hurt!"_ the announcer screams. _"Is this it, folks?"_

The screen pans to Steven Stone, whose eyes flicker across the battlefield with scrutiny. "Metagross, pull back!" he commanded. "Hit Salamence's tail away with Bullet Punch!"

Wally watched with bated breath, his whole body trembling with excitement.

"Come on, Metagross," he cheered, his fists clenched tight. "You can do it!"

_"Again, Metagross! Ice Punch!"_

A cheer went up as the dragon went down, and Wally sat up excitedly. (He sat up a little too quickly though and, to his chagrin, began to cough uncontrollably.) He did it! Steven won!

_"And Slamence is down for the count, folks! The winner of this match—and our new Hoenn Champion—is Steven Stone, from Mossdeep!"_

The screen panned once again to Steven, who looked slightly uncomfortable as the reporter shoved her microphone a little _too_ close to his mouth.

_"How was that battle? How do you feel? Tell me what you think, Champion Steven!" _

He chuckled. _"It was a great battle won only through the power of my Pokemon," he responded. "I didn't do much, really. But I promise to do my best as Hoenn Champion, and I can't wait to see what challenges await me in these upcoming years."_

The next moment the TV screen was flooded with girls (and some boys) of all ages, swarming the new Champion with squeals of adoration and proclamations of love.

"Wow, so cool," Wally breathed, eyes sparkling with admiration. "I want to grow up to be just like him!" He had been following Steven Stone for as long as he could remember and idolized him—who _wouldn't_? He was Hoenn's golden child, the creme de la creme in every single aspect; even his weird fascination with rocks only added to his charm.

Which is exactly why Wally wanted to emulate him. He wanted to become a trainer because of Steven—he even tried styling his hair like him! He couldn't wait until he became a trainer so that he could take the gym challenge and challenge his idol. How cool would that be?

The energy suddenly left him. "But I can't do that," he muttered somberly, sinking back down into his bed. Being a trainer was probably out of the question for him; he had a weak constitution, after all, and he was always getting sick. How could he care for a Pokemon when he couldn't leave his own room?

"It'd be nice to battle him at least once," he sighed, crossing his arms. "I wish I wasn't so sick all the time."

* * *

A wide grin stretched out on his face as he stared at the shiny Pokeball in his hands. It had been a long time coming—five years since—but now Wally had his first Pokemon!

"L-let's be good friends, okay Ralts?" He pocketed the Pokemon and walked towards the train station. He was glad he had a friend now. It would have been a lot more sad to leave Petalburg on his own, but now that he had Ralts with him, moving to Verdanturf with his auntie and uncle didn't sound so bad.

He coughed into the sleeve of his sweater. They said Verdanturf air was good for kids like him. He really hoped so, because it meant that he was going to get better—maybe be cured, too. And if he was, it meant—

"I could go on a journey!" He sat down at an empty bench, swinging his legs back and forth as he contemplated the thought. He was going to be a great trainer, he just knew it. He'd get stronger, and Ralts would too—what did Ralts evolve into, anyways?—and one day he'd be ready to take the Pokemon Gym Challenge and then the Pokemon League Challenge.

And then—oh, and _then_, he would be able to challenge Steven Stone to a battle.

"I can't wait!"

_"For those of you riding the monorail to Verdanturf, please have your boarding pass out and ready for scanning. The train will be arriving in thirty minutes."_

Wally dug through the front pocket of his backpack. He knew he had placed it there—it _should _be there. But there was nothing except his medication and two lollipops. No ticket. Nada.

A sense of dread washed over him and, in a state of panic, he dumped out his backpack onto the space next to him. His hand frantically overturned every item and pried apart every shred of paper but to no avail. The ticket was gone.

"Wh-what am I going to do?" he whimpered, lip quivering. "I-I can't buy another ticket! An-and mom and dad paid so much for this, too. Oh _no_, how am I—"

"—are you looking for this?"

Wally snapped his head around. The lost ticket dangled in front of his face and he quickly grabbed it.

"Th-thank you so much!" He looked up at his savior. "I don't know what I would have done if—S-STEVEN STONE?"

The Champion chuckled. "It's nice to meet you," he greeted. "You dropped your ticket a little ways back."

"Th-thank you!" Wally fumbled around for words to say. Never in his lifetime did he ever think that he would meet his idol—and at a train station, of all places! "U-um," he stammered. "I-I'm Wally! I really admire you! You're so cool!"

"I'm honored you think so," Steven responded. He turned his gaze to the Pokeball that sat on top of the boy's clutter. "Are you a trainer?"

"I just got my first Pokemon," Wally answered. "A Ralts."

"That's a powerful Pokemon," Steven stated. "If you train it enough, it will be a very good Pokemon on your team."

"I'm just happy to be with it right now," Wally admitted sheepishly. "But I do want to take the gym challenge when we get stronger, and then the Pokemon League challenge after that!"

Steven nodded. "I see," he murmured. He suddenly stood, checking his watch. "I must be getting back to Rustboro now, my father is probably wondering where I ran off to."

Wally rose to his feet. "I-it was an honor to meet you, Steven!"

"The pleasure was all mine," Steven responded with a smile. "The next time I see you, Wally, will be when you challenge me, okay?"

Wally's eyes sparkled with excitement. "It's a deal!"

* * *

He swallowed thickly, grasping the hem of his sweater as he traversed the iron bridge that led to the Champion's room. It had taken a lot of hard work—a lot of sweat and tears—but here he was, about to face his idol.

He doubted that Steven remembered his face—they had spoken once, and only for a few minutes. It would be no surprise if the Devon Corporation heir didn't recall him.

He placed a hand against the cool, metal doors, took a deep breath, and pushed them open.

"I see you finally made it, Wally."

His eyes widened. Was he hearing things, or—

"Welcome," Steven greeted, rising from his chair. "I have been waiting for your challenge."

Wally could barley keep from grinning. He ran up to Steven and stuck his hand out. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time," he said. "You may be strong, but I won't lose!"

Steven had a look of surprise on his face. "Well, it seems you've been on quite a journey." The timid boy he had met was gone, replaced by a confident young man, and it excited him a little. He took the outstretched hand and gave the boy a firm shake. "I expect this to be a good battle."

"It will be!"

They separated, walking to their respective places before facing each other again.

"Show me the results of your training!" Steven cried out. "Go, Skarmory!"

Wally took in a deep breath and held on tightly to his pokeball. "We're not going down without a fight!" he cried out. "Go, Altaria!"

* * *

_fin._

* * *

Inspired by the idea that Steven could have been Wally's role model. (I think that mostly because I see a similarity in their hairstyles, though I don't think many other people think that, aha.)

A short little fic born out of procrastination. I hope you enjoy! :)

Until next time,

Khryseis


End file.
